Forbidden Legend (Revision 12147)

Start the Forbidden Legend quest by reading the Lost Legends book in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. It can also be found in Whiterun where the court wizard has his books, by following the quest line at the College of Winterhold, or by reading a book during A Cornered Rat.

Walkthrough

Head to the location on the map, a small campsite just outside Folgunthur, and read Daynas Valen’s journal sitting on the ground. Investigate this further by paying a visit to the journal’s owner, Daynas, inside Folgunthur.

The inside of Folgunthur looks just as uninviting as the outside. If the numerous freshly bloodied bodies aren’t indication enough, the booby traps rigged throughout this small area should deter even the most intrepid adventurers. The first room has familiar-looking animal tiles and an imprint of a claw, which you don’t have yet. Proceed further and fight some draugrs in the next room.

There’s a floor trap at the bottom of the staircase. You can pull the lever or just jump over to the stairs. Daynas Valen can be found at the very edge of the second floor ledge, but isn’t in any condition to give you useful information. However, his notes will do just fine. Take the Ivory Dragon Claw from his robes and leaf through the notes to learn that you’ll need to uncover the Gauldur Amulet Fragment here in Folgunthur and in two other locations.

Set the Ivory Dragon Claw in the slot just above Daynas’ body to lower the bridge and continue in. You will come into a room in which stairs lead down, but a sturdy metal grate blocks your passage. Open the lever on the left throne to enter this room and move some tiles. Facing the tiles, the sequence should be the eagle, whale, and snake symbols all facing outward (to mirror the similar pattern on the other side). Note that if you can not rotate the pillars even though it says activate pillar you need to leave Folgunthur and then return to the dugeon. You should be able to move them then (worked on Xbox 360 version). You should hear the sound of a mechanism being unlocked, and then pull the lever in the previous room to retract the metal grates. Head down and follow it to a corridor, at the end of which is a stone door with rings of special engravings adorning it.

To view the correct pattern, go into your items inventory and examine the Ivory Dragon Claw: the pattern is engraved upon the claw itself. Starting from the outer ring, the correct sequence is: eagle, eagle, dragon, then insert the claw into the slot.

Use the claw to open the gates behind and you should also find a Word Wall allowing you to learn Frost Breath, Freeze. There's a chest nearby with additional goodies as well.

Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Geirmund’s Hall

Geirmund's Hall is located to the east of Ivarstead and south of Lost Knife hideout on a small island between the river.

As soon as you enter you will be greeted by a giant spider and a draugr. Take care of them and drop down from the giant hole into the small pond. Be careful as you move on because there is a foot trap in the room. Fight off a few Draugrs and you will come across a room filled with water. You have to set a combination of stones so you can open the door on the other side.

The combination is: eagle, whale, snake, whale.

After the door is open go through the narrow passage and fight Draugrs and move up the stairs. Immediately to the right you will find Archmage Geirmund, except he's not what you'd expect. Take the key and the note from him. Go left and move up the stairs. Kill the draugr.

Next you have to pull a lever to bring the wooden bridge down. There are two levers in the room.

One to the edge to the right side of the room and the second one is behind the first one hidden in a corner opposite the first lever.

The first lever will is a trap and it will bring out the spikes on the wall to the right side of the lever. Pull the second lever and bring the bridge down. Move up and again, pull the lever to the left, bring the second bridge down. Kill the draugrs. There is foot trap in the next room which activates the pendulum axes, so watch your step.

Next you will be in a giant room filled with water. Go down and kill the restless draugr. There are two platforms in the middle of the room and one small section to the left and a room to the right. You may want to save your game here.

Perhaps a safer strategy would be to stick to Archery to kill him and stay in the room where he wakes up as you have enough cover. The clones can be killed with a single arrow. The annoying part is that this boss uses a shout that can send you flying across the room. What's worse is that if your character ends up getting clipped or stuck anywhere in the battlefield as Sigdis will use this opportunity to take free shots at you.

Find the Gauldur Amulet Fragment in Saarthal

You cannot enter [[Saarthal]] without a key. In order to access Saarthal, you need to go to The College of Winterhold and follow that questline for a bit until you receive the quest Under Saarthal. Rendezvous with Tolfdir there and he will take you inside.

You are to meet Arniel, who can be found relatively easily. Arniel asks you to find four artifacts. One of the artifacts is the Saarthal Amulet. Once retrieved, you'll be trapped inside the room. Do as instructed and wear the amulet, then cast a spell (any spell) on the wall where the amulet was.

Doing so breaks down the wall, after which Tolfdir passes through expecting you to be behind him. Once in the room, you will have a vision from someone in the Psijic order. After you inform Tolfdir about the vision, he suggests looking around a bit. You might have draugrs to deal with your immediate future.

Leave Tolfdir and pull the two chains in the room to uncover a door to the next area. More draugrs. Kill them and go up the stairs. Be sure to snoop around the area to loot chests and whatnot.

Careful of the poisonous arrow floor trap as you move down. Beyond this trap are more powerful draugrs: a Restless one and a Draugr Wight.

In the next room, you have to arrange six pillars to open the door ahead. The solution is right behind the rotating hawk, dolphin, and snake. Note: It's easiest to temporarily bump up your brightness in-game as the clues will probably be difficult to see under most standard brightness settings (unless you have it at maximum).

The solution from lever facing back (towards the way you came in):

Left:

Hawk

Hawk

Dolphin

Right:

Dolphin

Snake

Hawk

Once opened, your prize is really just another enemy, but in the form of a powerful Draugr Deathlord. He can dole out a lot of pain in a single swing. It's best to take him out from a distance if possible. Another strategy involves running back to the room with the pillars and standing next to the lever. As the Deathlord approaches, close the door and shoot him with arrows. This will have to be repeated a lot of times depending on your level.

After defeating, move on up the stairs and through the door. There are two alchemic traps here on the floor. If you go through those traps, you will be hit by lightning. Disable these traps by using some Destruction spells on it a couple of times.

Time to arrange four pillars again in order to open the door. And of course, pulling the lever with incorrectly arranged pillars will shoot poisonous arrows from the wall.

The solution is on top of each pillar, but the pillars here are a bit difficult to shuffle as activating the first or second pillar to the left will also activate the two pillars on the right. And activating the second pillar on the right will activate the first one on the right.

So, here is the combination for rotation:

Rotate the first pillar on the left once.

Rotate the second pillar on the left once.

Rotate the second pillar on the right twice.

The first one on the right can rotate individually so you can rotate that for the correct pillar.

After you open the door Tolfdir will catch up with you. Beware of the foot trap ahead. Move to the next room to face Jyrik Gauldurson. Behind Jyrik is a giant sphere. As you move down, though, Jyrik moves into hostile action. Your attacks will not affect him. Tolfdir will attack the giant ball, which will weaken Jyrik, allowing you to take him out. Retrieve the amulet from Jyril's corpse. This will complete the quest for finding the amulet.

Tolfdir will ask you to return to the College and to inform them about the giant sphere that you discovered.

Forging the amulet

Note: In order to complete this quest you need to have the Ivory Dragon Claw.

In order to forge the amulet, you need to make your way to the Reachwater Rock, which is south of Sky Haven Temple. The cave is behind a waterfall, so look for that.

On your way up, you will find a dead Nord, the Emerald Dragon Claw and a note warning you to not enter the place.

As you move up, you have to arrange the rings on the doors correctly to open the door. The sequence is there on the Emerald Dragon Claw. Then use the Claw to unlock the door. For the fifth one, you need to have the Ivory Dragon Claw. The solution to the rings on the fifth door is there on the Ivory Dragon Claw. Incorrect arrangement of the fifth door will release poisonous arrows from the wall.

Once inside, you will have to face all three bosses that you faced in the earlier quest of retrieving the amulets individually. Go ahead and place the three amulets on the three plates and the three bosses will appear. They will fight one at a time. First one will summon draugrs to attack you, second one can create clones of himself and shoot arrows from a distance, and the third one will use magic to summon an ice creature.

Defeat them all and you will have created the amulet which will give 30 points of health, Stamina and Magicka.